Koudai whipped around to face the panicked fledgling. “Who’s coming?”
Subaru stood frozen in place, his hands shaking, eyes wide. “The ferals!” Koudai felt Tomoya grab his hand, and returned the gesture, squeezing it tightly. I’m not going to let them hurt you again.
Kuina stepped forward, sniffing the air, his posture stiff and strange. “Subaru’s right. They’re downwind of us, I think.” His face twitched, his eyes rapidly scanning the forest, his body ready to pounce. He honestly scares me sometimes. It’s like he’s not even human. Koudai laughed under his breath at that. But then again, neither are any of us, anymore.
Tomoya stepped forward, one hand still clutching his shoulder. Koudai moved up to meet his boyfriend, concern flooding his body. Don’t overexert yourself! Subaru was still shaking, rocking slightly on the balls of his feet, wide eyes rapidly scanning the trees for danger.
Koudai stood next to the shaking fledgling. He honestly reminded him of a frightened deer, ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. “What’s wrong?”
Subaru continued shaking, his arms wrapped around himself tightly. “They’re coming, I can feel them, they’re so hungry, I’m so hungry, It’s so overwhelming, so much I don’t want it please-”
Tomoya stared in concern, Subaru whimpering and burying himself in Koudai’s arms, shivering. Poor thing. Koudai caught a smell wafting through the trees. Vampires. Five of them. Tomoya’s eyes met his.
“Subaru, I know they’re coming. We’re going to have to fight them, and I can’t do that if you’re clinging onto me, okay?”
The blonde vampire nodded, before slowly unwinding his arms from Koudai’s waist. “Shhh. It’s okay, it’s okay-”
Subaru suddenly darted off into the woods.
The other three vampires stared at each other for a fraction of a second before Kuina ran after him, the other two following quickly behind.
When he’s not falling apart in someone’s arms, he’s running as fast as he can. What’s up with him?
Subaru flew through the woods at an inhuman pace, the other vampires traveling behind. What’s making him so panicky? Is it the bloodlust? But then how would he know they were coming when we didn’t? Memories flashed through Koudai’s head of the burning pain, the need to drink and drink and drink to get rid of the agony burning through your body, and then you wake up and you’re standing over some woman with a missing throat an-
Something whistled through the air near Koudai’s head.
His body whirled around as if on autopilot, slamming it against a nearby tree with a hard thud.
Koudai’s hands were wrapped around the wrists of a feral, bloodstained fangs on full display, eyes bright crimson, face contorted with rage, struggling wildly against Koudai’s grip. Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod! One of the feral’s legs swung up to kick him, Koudai taking his other hand and jabbing it into the feral’s chest on pure instinct, the action punctuated by a sickening crunch and squelch that joined the symphony of screams and hisses that echoed throughout the dark night. Koudai looked up, his left hand wet with blood, the feral writhing on the ground. Tomoya was struggling with a female feral, the two tangled up on the ground, both bleeding. Subaru and Kuina were standing back-to-back, occasionally lashing out at the other three ferals, fangs and claws bared. They would’ve got the drop on us if not for Subaru. How did he sense them?
“That hurt!”
The feral lunged at Koudai, the vampire standing in shock. I didn’t know they could talk. With a hiss, he sprung forward, an instinctive kick from Koudai causing him to fall to the ground with a heavy thud.
The feral looked up, his face contorted in pain. He...he looks so young. He was, honestly. A childlike face framed by brightly colored hair, bloodstained fangs poking out from his pierced bottom lip. How old is he? Fourteen? Fifteen?
The feral boy hissed again, backing away slowly, a hand clutched to the gaping wound in his chest. He quickly ran off into the forest, Koudai still shaking from the encounter. Oh my god, oh my god I almost died I could’ve died oh my go-
Tomoya screamed.
What’swrongwho’shurtingyouI’llkillitI’LLKILLITI’LLKILLIT! Koudai ran over in a heartbeat, his body slamming into something solid I’llkillitI’llkillwhoeverhurtyouI’llkillit his fangs sinking into its throat, thick, sickly-sweet blood filling his mouth I’lltearitaparttearitintoabillionpiecessoitcan’thurtyoukillitKILLIT slamming his hand into its head, a lovely, absolutely lovely sound as its head was crushed against the forest floor, the sweet smell of vampire blood filling his senses as he tore into its flesh, a gaping hole showing bloodstained organs-
A pair of arms yanked him off the body, hugging him tightly.
“Koudai, it’s okay, it’s okay. She’s dead. She’s dead and she’s not going to hurt me, please calm down, please.”
Tomoya’s scent invaded his senses, calming and cool, his arms a nice weight He’s safehe’ssafeIsaved him . A sweet smell piqued his attention and he looked up. Lying in front of him was the headless body of a feral, mangled beyond recognition, lying in a pool of blood.
I did that. I...I killed her. I killed her. God...My god.
But it was hurting Tomoya, wasn’t it? You’ve killed before, haven’t you?
But that was a life! It was a person and now she’s dead and gone and it’s all my fault!
Who cares? It’s not like it’s anyone that mattered. Not like it was Tomoya.
It’s...I killed someone! Don’t you understand?! Sticky red tears beaded at the corners of his eyes.
Laughter echoed inside his mind. Sweetheart, you saved your mate’s life. I don’t understand why you’re being so unreasonable about this.
The sweet smell of the blood filled Koudai’s senses, desperately pressing his head against the nape of Tomoya’s neck, trying to drink in more of Tomoya’s calming scent, to stop his body from shaking, to stop the desire to both vomit and tear something apart-
“Koudai, you okay?” A finger tentatively traced the bloody knuckles on Koudai’s hand.
The redheaded vampire looked up. Kuina was kneeling in front of him.
Koudai’s body stood still as a stone, his eyes unable to stop focusing on the body, laying there, with a bloodstained, utterly delicious-smelling, so sweet i’m fucking starving school uniform, red-stained guts on white fabric, glistening in the moonlight, fleshy organs peering out, like snakes, dead snakes, that smell, that lovely smell, so good, I need more-
“Hey. Calm down.”
A pair of hands gripped his shoulders.
Koudai buried his head in his knees, trying to block out Kuina’s voice. Nono, I need blood, good, sweet blood, so sweet, I need it, please-
“Look. At. Me.”
Silence. It’s so sweet I need it-
“If you don’t look at me, I’m leaving you behind.”
Koudai’s head jerked up, Kuina’s dark eyes fixing his own, filled with captured moonlight, intense and stormy.
“Okay. Are you upset because you killed her?”
Koudai nodded, Tomoya’s arms encircling him tighter.
“Okay. So. Koudai, take my hand.”
Koudai’s fingers slowly unclenched from around his skirt’s fabric, his hand slowly rising before Kuina grabbed it, effortlessly pulling him up.
Kuina nodded. “Good.” I’m the lowest of the low, oh my god, I’m so fucked up. Tomoya grabbed Koudai’s hand as soon as Kuina left his side, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“Kou…”
Koudai gripped Tomoya’s hand, a lifeline in a churning storm. “I don’t...”
Tomoya nods, a weak smile on his face. “It’s okay. I mean, it was scary as hell, but...thanks.”
Koudai smiled in response, never managing to look Tomoya in the eye. I mean, I saved him. He might be dead if not for me. But why does her face keep flashing back into my mind? He took off, following Kuina, hoping to push the storm in his mind away.
It wasn’t like I needed to be that brutal! I just tore and tore and tore into her because I’m no better than a wild animal going berserk over…
But I did it for a good cause! She would’ve killed Tomoya! I shouldn’t feel bad, but-
As he was looking around the dark forest, his feet flying over the mossy ground, he noticed a distinct lack of blond hair amongst Kuina’s purple and Tomoya’s brown. Koudai skidded to a stop, glancing over his shoulder. Subaru was sitting in the shadow of a tree, his knees to his chest.
Koudai walked over. “Subaru, are you okay?”
The young vampire looked up. “What?”
“I just noticed that you weren’t following us, and we’re leaving, so…” God. I really am a fuckup.
Subaru looked legitimately shocked, his mouth dropping open “You want me around?”
Kuina’s voice echoed through the trees. “You’re useful as hell. Without you, those ferals would’ve gotten the drop on us and tore us to pieces. That kind of skill’s useful.”
Tomoya rolled his eyes. “Plus, we’re just like, nice people. We’re not going to leave some kid alone in the woods.”
Subaru huffed. “I’m not a kid. ”
Kuina called back from the wood. “Well, how old are you? Like, 16? 15?”
“I’m twenty-one! And I’m going to turn twenty-two in...” He trailed off, red liquid beading at the corners of his eyes.
The realization suddenly hit Koudai. I’m never going to age. I’m gonna be stuck like this forever and ever and-
The redheaded vampire gripped his hand into a fist. I can’t think like that. I have to comfort him.
He walked over to him, taking Subaru’s hand in his own.
“It’s okay.” Wait, where did that come from?
Subaru looked up at him, his eyes filled with red tears. “No. No, it’s not. I’m gonna be stuck like this forever and I’m gonna have to drink blood and that’s if I don’t get ripped apart by a feral-”
Koudai’s heart tugged even more, his arms wrapping tighter around Subaru, inhaling his sweet scent. He’s so cute, it makes my heart break seeing him sad. The taller vampire ran his fingers through Subaru’s hair, trying to comfort him.
Tomoya walked up, throwing a glance at Koudai before patting Subaru’s head. “We’re gonna make sure you aren’t eaten by ferals or anything else, okay?”
Subaru nodded, his face streaked with red. “I guess I should get washed off, huh?”
Koudai nodded, his eyes focusing on the massive red stain on his white sweater, as well as the matching stains on the other vampires’ clothing.. “I honestly think we all need to wash off.”
Kuina glanced back. “There’s a river not too far from here. We can use that to wash up.”
Tomoya grimaced. “You’re expecting us to wash our clothes in a river?”
The purple-haired vampire grimaced. “Well, unless you wanna go back to the mansion…”
Tomoya threw his hands up, Subaru nodding in agreement. “I’m good! I’m good!”
The entire group laughed, before Kuina took off into the woods, the other vampires following him, as quick and soundless as ghosts.
A pair of hands traced themselves along his back, slender fingers pressing into knots, soft hair tickling the nape of his neck.
“You done yet?”
Annoyance flashed across the older vampire’s face. “No.”
He felt his lover’s head rest on his shoulder, those lovely fingers moving ever so downward. “It’s eight in the morning. I think it might be time to call it quits.”
The older vampire looked up from the mountains of work on his desk to face his mate, his stunning dark eyes pleading, set into a pale, foxlike face.
Gods, you’re so fucking beautiful.
“Just a few more minutes, then I’ll join you in the basement.” He brushed aside the papers to push a few keys on his laptop keyboard. The deed for a manor home opened on the screen.
How am I going to get your owner to let me inside you? He tapped on the keys as if waiting for a solution to pop into his head. His mate sat on his lap, wriggling between his outstretched arms and pressing his head into the crook of his own.
“If you’re trying to persuade me into having sex with you, it’s not working.”
His mate gave a pathetic whine in response, nuzzling closer to his jugular. “Well, if you don’t want me, I could shift into-”
The older vampire shot up. “That’s a brilliant idea.”
“What?"